St. Paul, MN (KROC-AM News) - The scientists searching for the source of the deadly bird flu virus that ravaged Minnesota’s turkey industry this spring are reporting a 2nd confirmed case of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a wild bird found in Minnesota.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says a chickadee recovered in Ramsey County last month has tested positive for a deadly strain of avian influenza, but lab tests were not able to determine if it matched the H5N2 strain that was responsible for the outbreaks among commercial poultry flocks that resulted in the deaths of over 9 million turkeys and chickens in Minnesota. The only other wild bird to test positive for the highly pathogenic bird flu in the state was a Cooper’s hawk found in Yellow Medicine County in April.

Since the the bird flu outbreaks began in March, the DNR has collected nearly 4000 avian influenza samples as part of the effort to learn how the H5N2 virus was spread across turkey farms and other commercial poultry operations in the state.

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